I spy with my little eye... Fashion Forward, First Impression.

First impressions are always decisive, at least they are for me. Fashion Forward is the closest event to a fashion week in Dubai so I was more than curious to see how it would be managed, especially since I had heard mixed feedbacks regarding the former Dubai International Fashion Week, and I attended a few Paris Fashion Weeks. So here is my first impression:

1- The invitations: I liked being able to choose what shows I wanted to attend online, from the comfort of my flat. It gave me time to research the designers I didn't know. And receiving my invites three days later by FedEx was impressively fast and efficient.

2- The talks: I cannot say how thankful I am for the talks. Yes, Fashion is a business, and as much as we like to keep an eye on our figure, we eventually need to eat and pay a rent, so having experts sharing their experience and knowledge of the industry was a real qualitative addition. I would like to specially thank the London College of Fashion for sending some of their brilliant tutors. Paris, London, Milan and New York could actually learn something here. Fashion is not just about design, it's also about building and growing a brand.

3- The location: The fact that all shows were in the same location made my day; no running in heels! If you have the logistic capacity to host all shows in one place, why wouldn't you? I understand how comical it is to make elegant fashionistas run all over town in their Louboutin pumps but if you want them to make it on time to each show, you might as well make it easy for them.

4- The timings: All shows were very punctual, how impressive is that! Especially in a region that has a very elastic notion of time. The only thing is that sometimes the staff would have needed more time between two shows: by the time they would close one catwalk, the crowd was already waiting by the door of the next show and the poor ushers could barely make their way in.

5- The lounge: The outdoors hosted a lovely lounge area that was perfect for mingling and grabbing a drink. My only comment would be the nibbles that were not qualitative. Reminded me of my college canteen, not a good souvenir. Not enough choice and a real lack of flavor in the sandwiches. Again, we look thin but we do eat, and I speak for myself here but my french pallet likes good products. I don't necessarily need fancy food but I need it to be qualitative.

To be continued...